Best Part of the Day
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: Sometimes coming home was the best part of the day...


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: Sometimes coming home was the best part of the day...

A/N: Fluff piece...drabble-ish. This is set in my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe, but this oneshot can be read as a standalone.

**Best Part of the Day**

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"If we are in agreement, I believe we can adjourn for the night...well, what's left of it. We will reconvene tomorrow morn at half-past ninth hour."

I along with everyone else bowed respectfully as the Kings rose from their thrones and the council was dismissed. Negotiating with Calormen was always a tricky affair as they would occasionally try to slip in a minor clause for either the authorization of the slave trade or control of Narnian territory and then we had to catch it and renegotiate in such a way that we foiled them without insulting them. There were moments when I would rather present the Calormene ambassador with the truth that Narnia has never agreed to any of those attempts in the past and she will never do so now or in the future in a manner so clear even a double-tongued Calormene Tarkaan would find no way to scheme around it. As I picked up some of the papers I had presented at the negotiation, I allowed myself a slight smirk at the idea though it would never be put into action...no matter how tempting. My thoughts were distracted from the imagined moment of clarity for the Tarkaan as I clearly heard the High King asking, "Edmund, when did Su say their ship was due back?"

King Edmund looked up from where he had run back to grab some of the notes from one of the scribes, "Huh? Oh, she said Captain Truxton thought the Splendor Hyaline would be making port as soon as tomorrow if the weather held." He nodded to the scribe, a young Rabbit doe, "I thank thee for thy aid, good my Pansy."

She ducked her head and her ears twitched as she murmured, "An honor, Sire."

I finished collecting my own papers, including several that I needed to go over before the council reconvened, and left the council room just ahead of the Kings. Now, though, I was focused more on the news of the Splendor Hyaline's return than on less than diplomatic ways of making a point with the Calormene delegation...fortunately for them. For with the ship came the Queens and a goodly number of their ladies-in-waiting and guards, among whom was my wife. The Queens' planned tour of the Seven Isles and the Lone Islands had been extended to include Galma, Terebinthia, and Hettia as well. With the island nation of Hettia being the furthest to the North and subject to more severe weather, the tour had to be extended from two months to nearly four and I had been on the final portion of a three-week patrol when the Splendor Hyaline left port, so I hadn't seen my wife in over four months. I missed her.

We had argued the night before I left with the patrol...if I had known she would be among those chosen to accompany the Queens and that she would be gone for so long, I would not have allowed our argument to stand. Three weeks was enough time for both of us to cool our tempers, but nearly five months was far too long. She had written only once and I could tell she had still been upset. I intended to make things up to her. After all, I had fought too hard to earn the right to claim her as my wife to let a single argument alter our relationship not to mention we were both old enough to know better...as certain busybodies enjoyed reminding the both of us.

I glanced down at the papers in my hand as I entered our quarters. If I finished going over them tonight, it would give me some free time in the morn should the Splendor Hyaline make port with the early tide...I wanted that free time. I walked into my study and buried myself in those papers for over four hours until I was confident I could present the council with the new information, and what it potentially meant for Narnia, with no more than a cursory glance at the papers. I shrugged then stretched in a semi-successful attempt to work out a kink in my neck before finally leaving my study.

I opened the bedroom door only to pause mid-step when I noticed the traveling packs tossed rather carelessly on the floor just to the left of the bed. The curtains were open and the moonlight surrounded her as she slept on my side of the bed. I couldn't help grinning as I stepped fully into the room and shut the door. I hadn't heard the doors when I had been in my study, so I suspected she must have arrived back before the council recessed for the night at an hour 'til midnight. I should have checked the bedroom before going to my study...however, this meant none of my free time in the morn would be spent traveling to and from the port and that I truly did not mind. I leaned down and dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder before I carefully shifted her over just enough so I could lie down next to her without hanging off the edge of the bed. She stirred slightly but didn't wake as I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her close.

I dozed for about an hour before I woke with my wife still in my arms, her head resting on my chest. I could smell the faint trace of the sea beneath the familiar warm scent of cinnamon from her hair rinse, a reminder of how long she had been away from Cair Paravel. I brushed the loose strands of hair out of her face before I placed a kiss just below her hairline. She didn't even stir. Reluctantly, I shifted her over so I could get up. There was one errand I needed to run before she woke.

Leaving our quarters, I moved as quickly as possible to my destination. Reaching the room, it didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. A single Dryad saw me and when she saw what my errand was about, she giggled and waved me on with a bright smile. I inclined my head then hurried back to our quarters.

She was still sleeping as I quietly reentered the room and placed the token of a single rose with forget-me-nots entwined around its stem on the pillow next to her where she would see it the moment she opened her eyes. This was a ritual I had started the morn after our wedding, but the only dates she knew for sure I would do it was on our anniversary and her birthday...everything else was a surprise to her. I glanced out the window noting the night sky was still clear without even a trace of a cloud in sight before I returned to bed. This time she stirred enough to whisper my name as she reached back toward me. I caught her hand and pressed my lips against the center of her palm before whispering she should rest a little longer. I fell asleep only to be woken by my wife pouncing on me with a mischievous laugh. She wrapped her arms around my neck as she kissed me. I unraveled her loose braid, burying one hand in her thick hair, and she smiled as she leaned past me to place the rose and forget-me-nots on the bedside table. Clearly, our argument was dismissed, which I didn't mind in the least. I tugged her closer as she wrapped her arms back around my neck and we kissed. I was a little late to the council meeting, but I enjoyed knowing that sometimes coming home was the best part of the day...for both of us.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, so this would be...well, I'm calling it an experiment in romantic fluff since I've only written something like it once before. This one was rather drabblish actually, but please leave a review below and let me know what y'all thought about it.**


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